Arjun Arora
Founder
Experience: A leader in AI technology, career coaching, and education with over a decade of experience educating 5,000+ leaders on AI ethics and career growth. Spearheaded 100+ enterprise AI projects and founded Advisor.AI to expand access to quality career advising.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
First ask yourself who you want to be, then go do that!
Radhika Seshan, Ph.D.
Advisor, Education Partnerships
Experience: 25+ years leading academic and professional programs and technology partnerships. Former dean at Northeastern University and SDSU, known for elevating student success and program reach. Ph.D. in International Economics, University of Houston; B.A., University of Chennai.
Thomas Dickson, Ph.D.
Industry Partnerships Specialist
Experience: 20+ years in higher education leadership. A former assistant vice provost at UC Riverside focused on experiential learning and first-generation students. Doctorate in higher education administration with a dissertation on academic advisor job functions.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
Try things out. The best knowledge comes from testing out professions through internships, undergraduate research, service-learning, special projects, community service, clubs and organizations, work, and other opportunities that allow you to explore career pathways.
Alan Beaudrie
Partnerships & Student Advising
Experience: Nationally recognized, award-winning academic advisor with 10+ years in higher education. Founder of Beaudrie College Success Coaching, LLC. Former advisor at ASU and University of Arizona.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
The purpose of college is not to prepare you for what you will do the rest of your life. It is to prepare you for your first steps after graduation. You just need to make sure you are going in the right direction.
Todd Nelson
Chief Marketing Officer
Experience: 20+ years as a CMO and brand strategist, driving exponential growth through targeted brand strategies and innovative go-to-market operations. USC Alumni Board of Governors, USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, USC Annenberg Alumni Advisory Board.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
Listen and watch more than you talk. There's a reason you've got two ears, two eyes and just one mouth.
Priyanka Subramanian
Product Management
Experience: 12+ years as a product manager and former entrepreneur with expertise in building learner-centered products. Co-founded Allrounder Cup, a quiz-based social games company reaching 30,000+ students. Led high-impact projects with top brands, including Pearson, Leap Finance and Teach for India.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
Embrace the uncomfortable.
Shubham Shinde
Engineering
Experience: 4+ years in AI research and academic advising. MS in Computer Science from Santa Clara; former Amazon employee and AI hackathon winner. Improved advising AI model accuracy and speed by 75%.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
To achieve independence and success, you must work harder and smarter than the rest, especially when others quit. Success isn't reserved for a select few; it belongs to those who persist when others let go.
Brian Backus
Advisor, Product & Strategy
Experience: 20+ years in family media; co-founder of Hello Wonder, leveraging AI for family-friendly internet experiences. Former Disney and DreamWorks producer, Amazon product manager. Harvard MBA, USC MFA.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
You have to go out on a limb to get the best fruit.
Stephen Blaker
International Student Success
Experience: Cofounder of Blaker & Granet with 10+ years helping students and professionals navigate U.S. immigration for career success. Client industries include tech, healthcare, real estate and apparel.
BEST CAREER ADVICE
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Founder Story
Arjun Arora's professional journey is a testament to resilience and determination. He is a trailblazer at the intersection of AI technology, career coaching and education.
His path was shaped by overcoming numerous challenges associated with being an immigrant, first-generation college student and LGBTQ+ individual. For years, he faced societal barriers and cultural challenges that hindered his career aspirations. However, he remained steadfast in his determination to not let these constraints dictate his path and success.
After investing over 10,000 hours in personal career development and seeking guidance from career coaches and university advisors nationwide, Arjun emerged as a nationally recognized leader in ethical AI technology and data science through persistence, intentional planning and focused efforts.
With a decade of industry experience, Arjun has educated more than 5,000 business and technical leaders on AI ethics, career growth and data science across multiple Fortune 500 organizations. As a data scientist, enterprise sales leader and educator, Arjun spearheaded 100+ enterprise AI projects for global companies, driving $10M+ in ROI through responsible AI systems.
His commitment to democratizing access to quality advising is evident in his founding of Advisor.AI, a company on a mission to ensure that every student has the flexibility, support and quality of instruction to prepare for transformative career success. Arjun is equally passionate about ensuring that technology is used and built responsibly, as it is often not promoted by leaders in an ethical way.
Arjun actively participates in philanthropic initiatives such as the Arjun Arora '15 Sports Business Institute Research Grant, which helps hundreds of university students grow personally and professionally each year. He has supported thousands of students and experienced professionals in topics relating to professional growth and has mentored numerous LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and startups to find accelerated success.